It’s been a tumultuous week for Burlington College President Jane O’Meara Sanders. On Sept. 13, just days before the President’s Gala at a new campus purchased from the Catholic Diocese for $10 million, she announced a $1 million anonymous gift. The largest ever, she said.
But by Monday rumors had reached the WCAX studios that “some board members were trying to push” her out for precisely that – her fundraising record.
As reported in VTDigger.org last week, the school is under serious financial, management and academic pressure. While the number of students has only recently rebounded after almost a decade of decline, Burlington College has kept pace financially through a series of tuition increases that accelerated after Sanders became president.
Now, one of the country’s tiniest colleges also has a large campus to renovate and maintain. It’s been a winding journey for what began as a “college without walls.”
During Sanders’ tenure, dozens of faculty left or were fired. But until recently the board has backed her and provided frequent, generous raises. She currently makes more than $150,000 annually. Few were willing to publicly criticize her, either in fear of retribution at the school or of offending her famous husband, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. For years they have been Burlington’s progressive power couple, and are known for being thin-skinned.
In a TV interview with WCAX News Reporter Gina Bullard this Monday, Jane Sanders finally responded to the rumors. “A little ironic at the moment,” she admitted coyly. “Look, boards and presidents always have differences of opinions as what to do at a given time. I’m in the thick of it.”
The next night, the thick of it leaked out in the form of an agenda item for next Monday’s meeting of the Board of Trustees: Removal of the President. According to Seven Day’s columnist Shay Totten, both Sanders and Board Chairman Adam Dantzscher confirmed that provocative wording, and also that talks were under way about ending her contract.
Interpretations vary as to what comes next. A WCAX news items says that Sanders “may be fighting to keep her job,” while WPTZ reports that she “could be out.” There is little evidence of the former.
In a statement, Sanders describes the situation as a matter of different visions and expectations. “While I have not yet had the opportunity to discuss the future with the full board,” she claims, “I am hopeful that we can work together to ensure the continued success of Burlington College.”
The wording is vague, yet somewhat at odds with Dantzscher’s acknowledgement that discussions over those “differences” date back months. The topics have mainly been her performance, her bid for four more years and desire for a year-long sabbatical.
A few months ago, Sanders felt confident enough to ask for a new four-year contract. Until then, she worked under a series of two-year deals. But her request brought up simmering doubts, and ultimately led to a board decision in August to negotiate an exit strategy. Next week, the trustees will review what the lawyers for both sides have worked out.
A key member of the board is Jonathan Leopold, former chief financial officer for Burlington. Originally appointed as city treasurer by Bernie Sanders 30 years ago, Leopold is board treasurer, member of the Executive Committee and chair of the crucial Finance and Facilities Committee. He was a key figure in the Catholic Diocese deal, but according to sources close to the board has not been happy with Sanders’ fund raising.
Leopold left city employment last June under a cloud of his own due to the scandal surrounding Burlington Telecom financing. His wife, Roxanne, is part of BC’s core staff, heading the school’s psychology and human services programs. According to Totten, Burlington College spent $17,446 in 2009 on a six-night, all-inclusive stay at a Bahamian beach club owned by Leopold’s son.
In July, under oath, Leopold explained the rationale for not revealing the improper use of $17 million in general city funds to keep Burlington Telecom afloat. The plan was to get new commercial financing, which would allow repayment of the city money, and then announce the license violation to the Department of Public Service. But the plan failed in late 2009 when the City Council refused to authorize new debt.
Burlington College isn’t a municipally-owned utility, however, so the public, as well as the school’s students and faculty, may not get much information about any settlement with Sanders, except in the form of press statements from the president’s office.
Board members and faculty members, current and past, have declined to talk to various media outlets. Confidential financial and personnel matters are involved, they explain, and as a private institution, the college isn’t covered by the state’s right-to-know law. Others hope that the college will become more open in the future but don’t want to rock the boat in the meantime.
As VTDigger reported, Sanders’ vision has been ambitious but expensive, and her critics say, off the record, that she has been a dictatorial leader more concerned with image and marketing than academic quality.
Having a larger campus has, meanwhile, created opportunities but also challenges. If student enrollment doesn’t double over the next several years, the new campus could become a burden, one that requires cutbacks, even higher tuition costs, or somehow leveraging the new land base to compensate.
Ultimately, Sanders lost the support of the board majority. Once she and they agree on a financial settlement and departure timeline, the next tough issue will be finding a replacement, a process apt to take months and require interim management. Despite Sanders’ claims to have transformed BC and made it “stronger than at any time in history,” the future looks uncertain.
A few new details about that timely $1 million gift have also emerged. It is actually a bequest, which means that most of the money isn’t available now. According to the latest from the school, $100,000 a year will be available for renovations, programs and scholarship. And the donor was brought in by a board member rather than the president.
